New Year’s Eve for Kids

Kids love opportunities to celebrate – and they love excuses to stay up late even more!  New Year’s Eve addresses both of those joys.  But staying up until midnight or later can be rough on (or impossible for) some kids and sometimes the thought of dealing with tomorrow’s crankiness from lack of sleep can be a little daunting for parents.  It may make more sense for your family to have a Noon Year’s Eve party instead of the traditional New Year’s Eve party.  Whichever route you decide to take, here are some fun party ideas for kids!

1. Let kids decorate and personalize their own party hats and noisemakers with markers, glitter, and more.  Use plain paper cones or wide headbands for the hats.
2. Serve finger foods, including crescent rolls filled with wishes for the New Year (write or print them out on slips of paper then roll them up inside the rolls before baking).
3. Make Memory Books.  Provide each child with a small notebook or staple a few pieces of colored paper together, and have them write and draw their memories from 2012.
4. Do hourly treat bags to help kids count down the time.  Include some of these DIY S’mores Kits.
5. Talk about resolutions and what they mean.  Have kids write down what theirs are for 2013.
6. Juice boxes, smoothies, slushies, hot chocolate, and homemade milkshakes all make great toasting options.
7. Give each child a small photo album filled with pictures of some of your favorite 2012 memories that include them.  Leave a few empty pages in the back for them to either add their own favorites from 2012 or to add to it with new ones from 2013.
8. Fill small cups or paper cones with confetti and give one to each person.  When the clock strikes twelve, celebrate!
9. Serve a special dessert either just before or just after midnight.  Cupcakes decorated like a clock face, cookies with 2013 written on them, sweet fortune cookies, chocolate-covered strawberries – there are lots of fun ideas.  Consider adding  a little extra “sparkle” to your table by lighting a couple of sparklers as the countdown starts (be sure to supervise the whereabouts of small children).
10. Have a balloon drop at midnight.  Fill the balloons with slips of paper: write wishes for the New Year on some, jokes on others, and the names of prizes on others.  The prize tickets can be turned in for little gifts like coloring books, stickers, small toys, etc.  Make sure there is one for each child (and limit turn-in to one per customer!).

What New Year’s Eve ideas for kids do you have? Have you ever held a Noon Year’s Eve party?